II. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

An introductory course in the science of astronomy, with emphasis on the investigation of distant space – the physical nature of stars, galaxies, black holes, and quasars - and on the techniques used to gather information about these objects, with laboratory activities illustrating data gathering and interpretation techniques related to stars and galaxies. The unifying themes of this course will be how astronomers have come to know what they know, and the discovery of patterns in the observations they make. In short, this course will explore the nature of scientific inquiry.

 

III. TEXT:

Arny, Thomas T. Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy, 3rd ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

 

LAB MANUAL

Hoff, Darrel B. and Jeffrey Wilkerson. Contemporary Activities in Astronomy, 2nd ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 2003.

 

IV. SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:

     In view of the scope and sequence of this course, the following proposed instructional objectives and competencies shall be explored.

 

Students shall be able to:

 

A.  Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of electromagnetic radiation.

1.  Describe the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of wavelength, frequency, and energy level.

2.  Associate electron energy levels with the production of spectral lines obtained in simple elements such as hydrogen and helium.

3.  State Kirchoff’s Laws of Spectroscopy and apply them to various physical situations related to stars and galaxies.

4.  Explain why the spectrum of a Black Body changes its radiated wavelength with changes in its temperature.

5.  Use Wein’s and Stefan-Boltzmann’s Laws to solve simple problems which may include the size of a stellar object.

6.  Use the Inverse Square Law of light to solve simple problems which may include the distance to a stellar object.

7.  Describe the Doppler Effect and its usefulness to astronomy.

 

B.   Understand the physical characteristics of the Sun.

1.  Identify the exterior layers and temperature ranges on diagrams or photographs of the Sun.

2.  Explain why nuclear fusion reactions require high temperatures and pressures.

3.  Describe the nuclear reactions which produce energy in the Sun.

4.  State the type of spectrum produced by each layer of the Sun, and explain why each layer produces that spectral type.

5.  Describe two mechanisms by which energy is transported from the core of the Sun to its surface.

6.     Recognize solar wind, sunspots, solar flares, and prominences from a list of observed properties.

 

C.  Understand how information on the various properties of stars are obtained.

1.   Define parallax, parsec, light year, apparent magnitude, Absolute Magnitude, and Color Index.

2.   Explain the system of classification for stellar spectra, and the relationship between stellar spectra and stellar temperatures.

3.   Describe the various types of binary star systems by the techniques used to observe them.

4.   Compare and contrast the light curve of an eclipsing binary star system with the light curve of an intrinsic variable star with regard to physical cause.

5.   Given two of the following, determine the third: apparent magnitude, Absolute Magnitude, and distance.

6.   Draw and label an H-R Diagram which includes spectral class and/or temperature, Absolute Magnitude and/or luminosity, luminosity classes, and color-size differentiation.

7.   Explain how astronomers determine the following properties of stars: distance, temperature, diameter, rotation rates, mass, chemical composition, and magnetic field strength.

8.   Predict what results will be observed when there is a deviation in any of the components of hydrostatic equilibrium.

 

D.    Comprehend how theoretical computations and astronomical observations are combined to arrive at a general picture of stellar life histories.

1.   Describe our current understanding of where and how stars are “born.”

2.   Given a photograph of a star cluster or nebula, identify it by type and list its general physical properties.

3.   Infer the age of and distance to a star cluster by comparing its color-magnitude diagram with a standard H-R Diagram.

4.   Summarize the evolutionary steps in a star’s life history from nebula to its final demise using mass as the determinant factor.

5.   Relate the events that occur in the evolutionary stages of a star’s life to the formation of chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

6.   Differentiate novae from supernovae by their observed and theoretical properties and origins.

 

E.  Understand how the properties of size, shape, mass, and other large-scale structures of the Milky Way are related to other galaxies.

1.   Draw and label polar and equatorial schematic diagrams of the Milky Way indicating its overall size, distance of the Sun from the center, and the location of the nucleus, halo, spiral arms, globular clusters, and the Sun.

2.   Explain how 21-cm electromagnetic radiation is produced, and why it is useful in determining the structure of the Milky Way.

3.   State the relative amounts of material in the Milky Way in the form of interstellar gas, interstellar dust, and stars.

4.   Discuss the effects that interstellar dust and gas have on starlight.

5.   Present a unified discussion of galactic formation and evolution using stellar populations, density waves, abundance gradients, and interstellar media.

6.   Classify galaxies as elliptical, spiral, or irregular when shown photographs of them.

7.   Compare each class of galaxies according to the general properties of location and abundance of stellar populations, ages of stars, abundance and location of interstellar material, size, and mass.

VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND GRADING SCALE:

 

Final grades will be determined by a composite of the grades earned on the final examination, the open-ended assignments, the portfolio, and class participation.

 

 

Final Examination                    - 30%

Open-ended  Assignments     - 30%

Portfolio                                     - 30%

Class Participation                  - 10%

 

 

VII. COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

 

Jan. 7           Class Administrative Concerns

                               Introduction to Astronomy II

 

Jan.  9  through Jan. 16                  The Nature of Light                                             pp.  95-104

Discoveries and Activities

Discovery: Images in a Mirror

Discovery: Refraction of Light

Activity: Diffraction of Light Passing Through a Slit

Activity: The Diffraction Grating

Activity: Polarized Light

Handout: The Inverse Square Law of Light

 

Jan. 19   NO CLASS   Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

 

Jan.  21  through  Jan. 30                 Spectra and Spectral Analysis                      pp. 104-116

Discoveries and Activities

Activity: Observing Patterns from Radiation Sources

Exercise 12: Kirchoff's Laws and Spectroscopy

 

Feb.  2  through Feb. 13                    The Sun as a Star                                          pp.  329-350

Discoveries and Activities

Handout: The Sunspot Cycle

Exercise 24: Solar Rotation

Discovery: Solar Granulation

 

 

Feb. 16  through Mar. 3                      Properties of Normal Stars                          pp. 356-386

Discoveries and Activities

Discovery: Classification Using Known Spectra

Exercise 26: Spectral Classification

Handout: The H-R Diagram

Handout: Distance to Stars by Photographic Parallax

Exercise 25: Proper Motion of a Star

Handout: Simulations of Eclipsing Binary Systems

 

 

VIII. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

ATTENDANCE:

    Class attendance is expected.  Two key ingredients to the learning process are sharing opinions and experiences with others, and interacting with others in the teaching-learning situation.   Regular attendance is critically important.  Research indicates that there is a high positive correlation between class attendance and successful class performance.  Therefore, the instructor will enforce the University's Attendance Policy as stated in the University Catalog and the Student Handbook.  Administrative withdrawal will be requested when a student's absences exceed seven (7) hours of classes.  (One lecture period equals 1.5 hours; one lab period equals 2 hours.)

 

TARDINESS:

     This class is being taught in the Planetarium where low light levels or no light may be expected from the beginning of the class.  Tardiness will be disruptive to the students present as well as the instructor.  Latecomers will not only miss necessary background information and directions, but they will create a safety hazard to themselves and their classmates as they attempt to find seating.  If the door to the Planetarium is closed when you arrive, DO NOT ENTER until the instructor has opened the door for you at the end of the planetarium presentation.  Attendance will be taken promptly at the beginning of the class period.  Students coming in after the roll has been taken will have been marked absent. It is the student’s responsibility to see that the instructor has changed an absence to a tardy at the end of the class period.

 

COMPLETION OF ASSIGNMENTS:

     It is the student's responsibility to complete all work assigned and give the assignments to the instructor at the scheduled time.  If you must be absent unavoidably, send your completed assignments via a friend and ask that person to get any additional assignments, take notes for you, and pick up any hand-outs.  Late papers will NOT be accepted.

 

USE AND CARE OF EQUIPMENT:

     Some of the laboratory exercises that will be completed during the semester will require the use of specialized equipment and/or equipment that must be handled with special care for safety reasons.  The instructor will take time to explain the functioning and usage of these pieces of equipment before the student is allowed to begin the data-collection phase.  Once the student begins to work with the equipment any adjustments must be made under the direct supervision of the instructor.

 

STUDENT-FURNISHED SUPPLIES:

     Much of the work that will be done in completing laboratory activities will require the student to complete graphs and make calculations.  For these reasons the student must bring the following items to each class session.

 

1. A ruler with major divisions in centimeters and minor divisions in millimeters.

         2. A protractor.

         3. Graph paper that is divided into 1 cm by 1 cm major divisions with subdivisions of 1 or 2 mm.  This is commonly  referred to as scientific graph paper.

         4. A calculator of any brand that has the capability of determining squares and square roots, inverse functions, expressing numbers in exponential (scientific) notation, and has trigonometric conversions.

 

            OTHER NOTEWORTHY INFORMATION:

Computer Exercises

The instructor will assign some exercises that must be completed by computer access of the Internet or special programs supplied by the instructor.  This will require the student to visit the Open-Use Computer Lab in SBE 214, use the computers available for Internet access in the Chestnutt Library, or use their own personal computer at home if they have it connected to an Internet provider.  The instructor will also recommend programs that the student may access and download or purchase.

 

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:

Progress towards the goals and objectives of this course will be assessed by four methods.

 

1.      Two tests will be given to assess your understanding of the content of this course. One test will be given at mid-term, and one will be given as your final examination.

 

         2.      Progress will be evaluated through the use of a portfolio/journal.  Each student's portfolio will contain examples of the work they have completed and will be presented by them for the specific purpose of being evaluated.  The following are items that are expected to be included in each portfolio.

A.     Completed written reports for all laboratory and hands-on exercises that will be performed during the class.  These reports must follow the format that is included at the end of this syllabus as Appendix A.

B.     Entries which have been classified as “Dialog-Style Note Taking,” “Reading Responses,” and “Astronomy Scrapbook.” Specific information concerning these entries will be found at the end of this syllabus as Appendix B.

C.     Identify two or three concepts you have come to understand as a result of the activities conducted in class each day. Make a journal entry based on one or more of the following questions or activities.

(1)  How do these concepts mesh with what you knew about the subject before the class activities occurred?

(2)  A self-evaluation that explains the progress you are making toward achieving the goals and objectives of the class.  These entries should include specific examples or cases that demonstrate or corroborate your progress.  For example, relate the concepts discussed on a given day with the “Behavioral Objectives and Competencies” section above and summarize in your own words how your understanding of the concept has clarified your understanding of the subject.

D.     Journal entries which concern questions that have been raised in class or topics related to this class that are of interest to you that you have pursued on your own outside of class. The answers you have found to these questions or the new understandings that have resulted from your outside research should also be included as a part of the entry.

E.     A comprehensive analysis of progress must be included each time the portfolios will be taken for review.  Select independent concepts which you have learned and deduce how they have changed your understanding about similar situations or relationships.  Compose a more generalized concept utilizing the newly learned and the old understanding.

F.     Any additional items that the student wishes to include which he/she feels indicates the understanding he/she has acquired.  A specific statement must accompany each inclusion explaining why the student has chosen to include these items.

 

The portfolios will be collected a minimum of two times during the semester - before mid-term break and on the last day of class.  Any additional times will be announced as far ahead of time as feasible. The portfolio/journal may be submitted in one of several formats - pages organized in a loose leaf binder, files on a 3.5 floppy disk in either MS Word or WordPerfect, or in an HTML format which can be read by a web browser. Regardless of the format chosen, your work should be organized according to the headings given above.

 

3.      An open-ended research problem will be assigned as a group activity that will continue for the majority of the semester. A specific question or situation will be presented for the group to analyze and synthesize based upon the understandings gathered from the class.

 

4.      An assessment will be made of each student’s participation in class. This will involve a review of anecdotal notes made by the instructor about each student’s work, interactions within large and small group situations, attendance, and the search for understanding of the subject which occurs above and beyond the class.

 

EVALUATION RUBRIC:

The following five levels will be used to determine your final grade in this course.  Level 4 is considered representative of exemplary work and would, therefore, merit the assigning of a letter grade of "A".  Levels 3 and 2 are where most students will be expected to perform.  Students who consistently perform at this level should expect a grade of "C" or better.  Levels 1 and 0, therefore, would indicate below average and failing performance.

 

 

Level 4:

All aspects of the assignment have been fully addressed with supporting evidence.  The student has fully demonstrated that he/she has a new/deeper understanding of the concepts covered during the time period previous to the assignment.  The student’s understandings are further supported by the completeness of the assigned task.  The product is error-free.

 

Level 3:

The assignment addresses more than seventy-five percent of the subject with supporting evidence.  With no significant exceptions, the student has demonstrated that he/she has a new/deeper understanding of the concepts covered during the time period prior to the assignment.  The student’s understandings are given importance by the level of completeness of the assigned task.  The product does have a few minor errors, however.

 

Level 2:

The student correctly uses the principal concepts taught during this course.  Some lesser concepts might be omitted or inappropriately applied in written assignments.  The assignment is less than seventy-five percent but more than fifty percent complete.  The  completeness of the product reflects some distractions.  There are substantial errors.

 

 

IX. INSTRUCTIONAL STYLE:

    This course may be different from any science course you have experienced in the past.  The major difference will be in the instructional format.  Lecturing will be kept to a minimum.  Instead, laboratory exercises, classroom discussion, and small group discussions will take the place of lectures.  The instructor will pose many questions, but will rarely answer any directly.  There will be positive feedback to indicate that the ideas presented by the students as answers to the questions are  reasonable.  As often as possible there will be hands-on activities directly related to the topic.   A certain amount of time using computers to get at information either through software made available to the student or the addresses to searchable, interactive sites on the Internet can be expected.

 

    Such an instructional style is based on the truism that learning is an active process.  It is hoped this style will rekindle your natural curiosity, develop your skills for inquiry and design, and provide further means for enhancing critical thinking skills which will be important in future societal decision-making related to the sciences.

 

X.  REFERENCES:

The textbook is the primary reference for this course.  However, information necessary for a clearer understanding of the concepts presented may be missing from this particular textbook.  Therefore, the student is encouraged to research each topic on his own with references available in the Chestnutt Library of FSU, the Cumberland County Library System, and the instructor's office.

 

SUGGESTED READINGS:

     A deeper appreciation for the essence of astronomy, as well as its beauty, may be gained by reading a wide range of books and periodicals.  Many bookstores sell volumes of astronomical photographs and numerous books written for the non-science reader.

     Periodicals particularly well-suited for students include Sky and Telescope, Mercury, and Astronomy.  Articles pertaining to astronomy often appear in National Geographic, Natural History, and Smithsonian, just to mention a few.  More technical articles can be found in Scientific American, Science, and Nature.

 

     The following books are particularly recommended for the student's reading during the course of the semester and afterwards.

 

Adams, Fred, and Greg Laughlin. The Five Ages of the Universe. New York: The Free Press. 1999.

 

Hawking, Stephen W. A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

New York: Bantam Books. 1988.